Blog Response #8
Upon completion of reading your novel, what have you learned about a different culture? What shocked you? What seemed strange to you? What couldn't you believe? Take time to give specific examples from your novel that share what you learned about history and a different culture. Share your feelings about what you read.
In the book, The Kite Runner, I learned a lot about different cultures and traditions. The way they were all treated was such a shock to me. I found it strange how they were able to treat each other and then just live their life normally. When Assef raped Hassan, which was a boy to boy- very sad to me. The different traditions, like the kite running and kite flying tradition- i have never heard of that to be a tradition... only a hobby. I am forever grateful for reading this book so I got to experience the way other cultures had to live.
ReplyDeleteAddy this sounds like a great way to learn how people were treated in this cultural. I hope you enjoy reading A Thousand Splendid Suns
DeleteAddy, this book sounds like you learned a lot about how the people were treated in this culture and their different traditions. If you read A Thousand Splendid Sons I hope that you like it.
DeleteNice Addy, sounds like a great book and a long read. Im glad you got to see how other cultures work and have to live everyday.
DeleteAddy this sounds like a great way to learn about new cultures and the experience different people had. This sounds like a great book and im glad you enjoyed it
DeleteI have to agree with you about the kite traditions they had over in Kabul. I had always thought of kites as being something you only do a few times as a child.
Deletewhile reading the kite runner something i have learned is that Afghanistan is a very more harsh country that America many violent things they did were common, something that shocked me was when Hassan got raped and nobody did anything about it, once i read this i was very drawn back that kids would treat others like this and do horrible things to them, also when they were throwing rocks at random people i thought that was very rude.
ReplyDeletethat shocked me as well when Hasson got raped and all his father did about it was move him away
DeleteYes Olivia, that was such a shock to me as well. Very crazy how the different cultures are. Do you think this type of stuff happens in America it is just not as known?
DeleteI agree with how the raping situation just went unnoticed. If something like that happened in America, there would for sure be heavy repercussions.
Deleteupon reading the book the kite runner i realized to them kite flying wasnt just for fun or a hobby it was a full on competition and game that they played in winter compared to me where i fly kites during spring or summer another thing that stood out to me was the fact that depending on what your rank was or how much money you had was what based you on how you were treated for Example Ali and Hassan being servants and being looked down upon everyone else in the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteOlivia, this seems like a fair reason on why the book was called kite runner. What was your overall thought of the book in general?
Deletegrace, im glad you understand my reasons and to tell you the truth my overall thoughts on the book were just like i was shocked at how violent it was it was really unexpected but other then that it was a great book.
DeleteThroughout reading A Long Way Out, I have learned that during war, some different cultures and people are willing to do whatever they need to do to survive, such as stealing food from little kids, or killing someone in able to get away. Something that I couldn't believe was when Ishmael became a soldier and had to watch his friend get shot and killed, and I couldn't imagine what he was feeling and going through in that moment and even afterwards, when the war is over.
ReplyDeletethat's a good good way to look at it people will do anything to survive
Deletethats a great description of what people had to go through in the book
Deletein the book a long way gone the way young boys were treated at this time was a great shock to me being trained as lethal killing machines and even when the young boys were on the run they were still treated as killers even though at this point they werent, it was just the fact that they were young boys that they almost got killed out of safety for the villages who captured them. i couldnt believe that even the government army recruited young boys for soldiers i thought that they were supposed to be the good guys but they proved to be as brutal as the rebels with how they trained these skids to kill and brainwashed them to think of the rebels as not human but animals. this really shocked me especially when they were rescued by the civilians they didnt want to be recued they wanted to still fight for their dead families and they were so brainwashed to kill and maim that they resulted to on multiple occasions attacking the soldiers to prove a point.
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy how they were forced to do this. There goverment is just as bad as rebels. Looting and other stuff. Just goes to show how much better our government was set up
DeleteSomething similar happens in my book (kite runner) when children are influenced while overthrowing the soviet union and grow up to become Taliban leaders. Its crazy how much war can influence a person and change who they become later in life.
Deletewhen i was reading The Kite Runner i learned a lot about how different cultures live there life. They treated the hazaras they treated them like they were nothing but servants and some people wouldn't even let them be servants. when the Taliban came into Afghanistan they mas murdered the hazaras.
ReplyDeleteIssac im glad that you leanred backgorund on differnt cultures and how they treated others
DeleteI am reading A long way gone and it shocked me that the young boys no older than 16 were being trained to kill people. I could not believe how they were also being hunted constantly as if they were still killers in that sense. It was strange that the Government thought it was a good idea to bring in a bunch of young boys to help them kill the rebels and in a way completely brainwash them to be cold killers. They mad them believe it was ok to kill a bunch of rebels because of what effect the government had on them. It was weird to me how people can just completely change how they are just based on circumstances of their families dying so they thought is was ok to be as brutal as the rebels
ReplyDeleteThat would suck to have to live that life they were living. It would shock me too if young boys not older than 16 were brainwashed to be killers. That would not be a fun life to live. I really hoped you enjoyed the book, because what you described it would be a very shocking book to read myself.
DeleteThe government is also so much different then ours. Allowing cuel stuff like this to go on is not good. Also there age is young for being on so many drugs.
Deletei agree jake, i was also shocked to find out that there were people younger than us fighting in a war that they don't even know what its about.
Deletei agree i was also pretty shocked that the government army would stoop as low as bringing in young boys for their army like i expected it from the rebels but not the gov.
DeleteWow, its crazy to think they were forcing the young to be army men. They haven't even seen what life is about yet, but i think its normal to be influenced by the people you look up to at a young age. Its because you trust them, and what they have to say.
DeleteWhen reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, it shows a lot of the cultural and how the women are treated compared to the men in that country. What shocked me was how much the women got treated by the husband or other people in the country like they were nothing to the world. A lot seemed strange within the book, the amount of cruelty and unkindness was very unsettling to me. I couldn't believe how the husband would treat the girl kids badly compared to the guy kids. My overall thought of the book was good because it showed how people were treated and how much people did not care.
ReplyDeleteGrace, this book sounds like while reading you learn a lot about how the women were treated in the culture and how their husband treated their wife and their children especially the genders.
DeleteWomen don't have a lot of rights around the world compared to men.
DeleteIt sounds like you learned a lot of information you never knew about womens rights verses mens rights
DeleteIn Malala it surprised me that how badly the Taliban treated every one how where against them. I had heard that they where mean and maybe a bit ruthless but hearing it from someone that lived throw it was so shocking and unsettling. Then there was the fact how fast fear can change people. Others were turning on each other because they didn't want to die. Like in the book Malala could hear people take about how great the Taliban rules where, but Malala knew where scared that they would go after them if they said differently.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the same book I relate to what you are saying. I can't believe the Taliban did what they did. It shocked me with how badly they treated everyone. I like how you said how fast fear can change people, because that is true. It sucks the life they had to live with the Taliban there.
DeleteHi Hope , I would have to say that it was crazy that they were all just scared of the Taliban that no one would do anything not even the government and people were joining out of fear I would have to say.
DeleteIn the book, A Thousand Splendid Sons, I learned about the different culture in Afghanistan and how there are arranged marriages and that the husband can marry as many women as the man can. The way the women were treated by the husband was a big shock to me because basically the man can do what he wants to his wife's when they are under his roof and no one can stop him. I found it strange that the husband can beat the wife and then the next day they continue to live their lives normally by continuing their days with injuries on the wife. When Rasheed beat Mariam for Laila forcing her to run away with her- it was really sad to me because women are just trying to escape their husbands but they always get caught and then turned into their husband. Rasheed also beat Laila for her sitting down with Tariq after Zalmai told Rasheed about Tariq. I am glad that I read A Thousand Splendid Sons because I got to read about the different cultures and the different arranged marriages that was in the country.
ReplyDeletei agree with your thoughts about it being shocking with how wives were treated under the roofs of their houses by their husbands
DeleteI read I am Malala. In her country the Taliban showed up. The Taliban was controlling and making people listen to them. People were killed and put out on display in The Bloody Square. People were whipped and killed in public. They would burn TVs and CDs. They would come into your house and take you TV if they heard it. You had to go through Taliban checkpoints and they controlled the flow of traffic. The only way out when they did leave for a bit was through one road with Taliban checkpoints on it. Women couldn't go to school and women's schools were blown up. Women couldn't go out without a man that is her relative with her. The government and the military didn't do anything. The Taliban went after the police so the police stopped doing anything. I couldn't believe what the people went through in their daily lives. Living in fear and not knowing if they would be killed. It shocked me that not even the government were helping. Towards the end the military was able to get the Taliban to stop. It seemed so strange to read a whole different culture and reading about all the stuff they had to live through on the daily. It shocked me how they were heartless, kill and punish people in public in broad daylight. The whole book just showed a whole different perspective on a life I am glad I am not living. It sucks what she, her family, and everyone that had to live through the control of the Taliban and what they had to endure everyday of their lives.
ReplyDeleteWow Ella, being whipped in public and killed?!! is crazy. I would never want to live like that, in fear for the rest of my life.
DeleteI couldn't imagine having to live like that constantly being in fear. It sounds so terrible.
DeleteHi Ella, the bloody square definitely stood out to me too and it reminds me of like the holocaust which is so sad because that was occurring everyday. I also think that it was crazy that the government was not helping.
DeleteTo me the Taliban seemed like unwanted religious police that came out of the blue and took over. What is your thoughts on the police hiding when the Taliban where talking to the public.
DeleteI read Night by Elie Wiesel, Elie not only shares his story but he shares many others. I learned a lot about Jewish culture and how important it was to the people who lived through the Holocaust. Elie talks about things like religion, family, and the way people in his community helped each other. But when the Nazis took over, they tried to take all of that away. They didn’t care about peoples beliefs, they just treated them like numbers. Reading this made me realize how important it is to respect other people’s cultures and to never let hate take over. One thing that really shocked me in Night, was how quickly everything changed for Elie and his family. One day they were living normal lives, and the next they were being taken away in trains like animals. It was also shocking how cruel the guards were in the camps, they didn’t care if people were old, young, or sick. The part where Elie saw babies being thrown into a fire was especially hard to read. It made me realize just how horrible and unfair the Holocaust was. It was also strange how quickly people changed once they were in the camps. Some became mean just to survive, and others stopped caring about everything, even their own family. It was hard to understand how people could get used to such awful things, but it shows how fear and suffering can really change someone. I felt bad seeing how they were treated like they didn’t matter, just because of their religion. Overall, it was a great book and taught me a lot.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Jewish culture fascinating to learn about.
DeleteThis book seems difficult to read and I would have never imagined that people would have to go through this kind of stuff
DeleteI haven’t read Night, but your response really shows how powerful the book is. It’s heartbreaking to hear how quickly things changed for Elie and his family and how badly they were treated. The part about the camps and people losing hope sounds really intense. I can tell the book taught you a lot about respect, culture, and how dangerous hate can be.
DeleteI read A long way gone and just how good we have it in america is wild. Using children as soldiers was crazy. Why would anyone let that happen? But on top of that they gave them drugs. But before the war other stuff was different and caught my interest. Ishmael had to learn survival skills because his family did not have much money. He had to live off the land. The most messed up part of the book was the throat slitting contest. This showed how they would do anything to fit in.
ReplyDeletelooks like there's a lot of violence between these different books. when a war-torn country is fighting to survive a lot of terrible things happen out in the open that make me happy to live in the country i do.
Deleteyeah, the slitting throat contest was messed up, but it did show that they were willing to do anything to survive
DeleteThese books have definitely given us some perspective on just how good we really have it here in America
Deletei agree, the lengths that these people will go just to fit in is crazy to think.
DeleteThese books really make you thankful for what we have now
DeleteI also thought them using children as soldiers was really crazy and the fact they were giving them drugs to make them stay awake was wild.
Deletewhen I started the kite runner I didn't know a lot about how Afghanistan's culture operated. Because of the Afghanistan I've known my whole life, being the center of many American conflicts and controlled by terrorist groups, it was new to see how Afghanistan seemingly thrived in the 80's before all that happened. The country seemed prosperous with trade and many people had money, while lots of others did not. I was completely unaware of the race conflicts between the different Afghan citizens. I did not know anything about the hazra (lesser people) and their usual work as servants. Then It all changes for the worst when the Taliban come to power twenty years later in the book, and we get to see new forms of violence that didn't seem very commonplace earlier in the book. It was cool learning about customs and beliefs of Afghanistan during the 80's section of the book, but the citizens aggression of the lesser people and the Taliban's acts of violence make it clear that Afghanistan was a country with some social problems that was worsened by a lot with the introduction of the Taliban's rule.
ReplyDeleteI am reading Night by Elie Wiesel and this is by far one of the better books that i have read you learn a lot about the Jewish culture you hear how it was different for all of the jews but it was the something like most of them had the same story but not the same way i am glad that i got this book because it has to be my favorite book i have read
ReplyDeletethe jews sound like they have it very bad throughout history. I can't imagine having to go through what they've been through in those concentration camps.
DeleteThat life is harder and more difficult to live and thrive in. What surprised me the most in the book was kid soldiers taking in cocaine and marijuana. like they come back from a battle they start takin gin the drugs and watching rambo. That was crazy to me. What was strange to me was the way they were mixing cocaine and gun powder together and snorting. I don't why but that is nuts especially snorting gun powder. Americans have it the easiest in the world because our dollar is worth a lot more then 3/4 of the world and that we are the wealthiest country in the world especially compared to Sierra Leon.
ReplyDeleteI agree that life is way harder and more difficult in Africa compared to the United States.
DeleteI can't imagine being a little kid like that and having to do hard drugs. That must be very hard for kids.
Deletei also thought that drugging the kids with cocaine was crazy to and sending them into war as human soliders
Deletei would agree that life there is for sure a lot harder than here but that is a given because they are pretty 3rd world over there.
DeleteWhen I started Reading A Long Way Gone i didn't know much about Sierra Leone Africa and i learned a lot about how the entire country is in a civil war and there really isn't much peace there and how the civil war destroys everything in the country with the rebels burning down villages and trying to kill everybody to not let them escape. One thing that shocked me was how brutal the rebels are towards the citizens and how they don't care who they kill and how they kill them. One thing that seemed strange to me was when they burned the priest and put him on a wooden spike in the middle of the village and left him there to burn and be eaten by the animals at night. One thing that I couldn't believe was how they would mix gunpowder and cocaine together and give it to all the soldiers including the children that were fighting for them and basically made the children become addicted to the drugs and they also were giving them meth pills, they were doing this because they wanted the soldiers to stay awake whilst they were fighting so they wouldn't get over run.
ReplyDeleteWow Jaden, that is so sad... I can never imagine that happening in America, I am grateful for that!!! Do you think this book left an impact on you, or just some parts?
DeleteI agree this is a very informative book.
DeleteYeah this book really open my eyes about how there really is never peace there and it almost seems like if they let there guard down for even a day they will have to pay the price for it from the rebels.
DeleteI agree that the book really puts into perspective what we are given while some other places have to go through much worse then us
DeleteI read kite runner and it was a great culture shock for me. They have a lot of traditions that would not be considered normal here like fighting kites or having there summer break in the winter. I couldn't imagine having are biggest break from school being in the winter because for us we would rather be out in the sun and warmer weather but over there they enjoy the winter and mostly the kids. Kite fighting definitely would be interesting to see in person because this is a very honorable thing to do in there village and the hold much pride with it.
ReplyDeleteyeah thats not ideal having a break in the winter wiuth how cold andsd stuff it is. summer sounds like a more treditinal option
DeleteI read the book A Long Way Gone and the thing that shocked me the most was how Ishmael was used as a human solider and he was just a kid and how they would drug the kids up and make them go crazy and mad, and the part that was strange to me was when Ishmael kept getting caught and escaping every time I just thought it was odd that he kept getting away from the rebels and surviving. I also can't believe that at the end of the book he finds his uncle and relatives, and he starts feeling happier again and finds himself again instead of just thinking about the war. I learned that other countries there are people in the war who will do anything to win and how more unfortunate will do anything it takes to win even if its extreme or over the top.
ReplyDeleteThis had to impact how he lived the rest of his life.
Deleteits crazy that a kid can just be pulled in to fight in a war, really shows us what we have compared to them
DeleteWhile reading The Kite Runner I have learned a lot about the culture and how formal it is for example When Soraya is first introduced in the book Amir doesn't even talk to her he talks to her father instead and I also learned a lot about there very formal wedding traditions. One thing that ;shocked me was how the traditions were not lost when Baba and Amir moved to America such as how the wedding was carried out just as it would have been back home aside from rushing it due to Baba's impending death.
ReplyDeleteThis culture doesn't seem to far away from some in America
DeleteI read a thousand splendid suns and it shows alot about the culture and how the women are treated And they get compared alot to the men in the country. What shocked me and i didnt see coming was how the women got treated it was so sad to see and how no one said nothing. I just didnt think anyone anyone would say something. I would of never thought of picking this book with just war. But i really enjoyed the book and i liked learning about a different culture
ReplyDeleteI haven’t read A Thousand Splendid Suns, but your response really made me think. It’s sad how the women were treated and that no one stood up for them. I like that the book helped you learn about a different culture even if it was hard to read at times. It sounds like a powerful story.
DeleteWow, that sucks that women get treated like that and it's so normalized.
DeleteI read I Am Malala. The book took place in Pakistan. Her culture is the opposite of the US for women and girls. there they are not allowed for women to leave the home with out a male relative and must do all the work around the house. they are not allowed to get an education, Malala was even shoot because she was going to school. Girls had to go through the back door of schools or they ran the risk of being shoot by the Taliban. Additionally, I learned how unwealthy other places are around the world because there their homes are nothing like ours and they were made of dirt and not super stable. Lastly, their education was so interesting because the schools were not government funded but just random people could open them up and everyone had to pay to send their children to school.
ReplyDeleteThis is sad to know that in a lot of countries women were not able to leave home without a male.
DeleteIt's crazier to think they still wanted woman teachers and doctors but wanted them to stay home. any thoughts
DeleteI also thought that their education system was interesting and there was no guidelines.
DeleteAfter reading the book A Thousand Splendid Suns I learned more about the Afghanistan culture and how hard life was especially for women. In the book it talks about these two girls Marium and Laila and it shows us readers what they went through during wars and having to follow rules from the Taliban. Something that shocked me was how badly these women were treated. Women couldnt leave the houses withiout a man, kids could not go to school, and a lot of the times Marium and Laila would get beaten unreasonably like being seen in public. Laila was just trying to go see her daughter and one of the men from the Taliban saw her and started beating her. One thing that seemed strange to me was how Marium was treated and the names she got called. She was forced to marry this man named Rasheed who always abused her. I just couldnt believe how much Laila and Marium got abused and that Rasheed who was also Lailas husband almost killed her by abusing her so bad. Throughout this book I had a lot of different feelings. I felt sad for Laila and Marium for all the pain they went through. But this book made me open my eyes more and be thankful for the rights and freedoms we have in our country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! The names she got called was sad and also the way she was treated. Overall the whole book was sad besides the ending.
Deleteyeah the book is pretty intrsting with there cultural diffences and its so different to us americans and to them in afganastan and around there its so normal to them and they dont see anything wrong with it.
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ReplyDeleteWhile reading the book Night I have learned that the culture is very different from the culture that we live in today. While Hitler was ruiling the jews he had almighty power of them and in our country our president cant control our every move we take. What shocked me was that the fact that all women were taken to be killed as soon as they arrived at the camps. What seemed strange to me was that nobody in the camps tried to fight back and fight for there freedom. I couldn't believe that Hitler was able to gain everyone's trust so easily and have them believe in. what he was doing. The people in the camps had to run everyday to see if they where still qualified to be useful in the camps otherwise they would be sent away this is a part where I learned about the harsh culture they where forced to live in.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a book I must read in the future, it's crazy the things jews had to put up with to just live. I do agree with you, though. Why don't they fight back? Maybe some people did, but were killed before their story was told?
DeleteAfter reading A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, I learned a lot about the civil war in Sierra Leone and how it affected kids. What shocked me most was that children were forced to become soldiers. Ishmael was only 13 when he started fighting, and it was hard to believe they were given drugs and made to kill. It seemed strange how quickly life changed for him he went from listening to rap music to running from war. I was surprised at how the army brainwashed the boys with violence and drugs. Even though it was sad and sometimes hard to read, I admired Ishmael’s strength and how he survived. This book helped me understand another culture and made me thankful for my own life.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like it was very rough for the kids.
DeleteI am reading the book Night by Elie Wiesel, and in this book, Elie does a great job and describing the situations him and other jews was experiencing. The labor they were forced to do until they couldn't stand. When they had no strength left, they were executed and buried. It's strange to me how a human could do this to another human without remorse. Makes me think about how lucky we are to be living in America.
ReplyDeleteIt was very shocking, they killed anyone who was no use to them. And I agree we are very lucky to be living in America
DeleteWhile reading a long way gone I learned more about rural Africa and the things they have to go through. Some of the things that shocked me the most was how bad the rebels were making it over there and how they had kids fighting. It really made me realize how good we have it over here even though sometimes we forget that. I've learned more about there culture and the differences between us. I feel this book is a great read and one of the better books I've read I would defiantly recommend this book to someone who wants another perspective on things.
ReplyDeletethe rebels were unbelievable seems like something out of a horror movie.
DeleteSomething I wondered about over the course of the latter half of the book is whether or not Ishmael was even fighting for the army. What if he was actually fighting for the rebels, but no one was the wiser? It's an interesting thought for sure.
DeleteAfter reading the book "Night" by Elie Wiesel I learned a lot about the Jewish culture and the holocaust. It was very fascinating to learn about all the different stories throughout the book and what had happened to all the jews. When I read about the babies being tossed away to burn in the fire I was very shocked and could not believe it. It had to be strange for the jews to be living a normal life to then living in the camps and doing exactly what they are told. This book was a great read and I learned a lot from it.
ReplyDeleteit wakes you up learning about different cultures besides yours.
Deleteafter rereading the book a long way gone by ishmael beah i learned a lot about Africa and there culture. i was shocked of the poverty and the poor conditions they had to live in. for example ishmeal had to run and walk to safety without any shoes on. they lived in poor villages and the funeral they had for their friend was vary interesting and non traditional. i enjoyed learning the different situations people are in.
ReplyDeleteyeah im shocked too about the poverty and the trash enviorment. that would suck without shoes and stuff
DeleteI agree, the poverty that they have to live in even when the war is not going on is just sad. People don't have the essentials to live a happy and healthy life.
Deletei agree it was very shocking to see such a situation and realize that such things are possible
DeleteAfter reading A Thousand Splendid Suns i learned a lot about the Afghanistan culture. i was not expecting what happened in the book to happen. hearing about women getting treated the way they do compared to their husbands is crazy. getting beat for doing the smallest thing wrong or getting beat for going out without your husband is something i would never expect to happen. one thing i thought was strange was all the rules they had during the book because some of them were so random. One example of when i was mind boggled was when Mariam made rice and Rasheed said it was hard and made her chew pebbles which broke one of her teeth. Another example was when Laila wanted to see Aziza but rasheed would not go out with her so she would get beat till she was bloody all over. after reading this book it makes me sad to hear that women get treated like they did.
ReplyDeleteThe women got treated so wrong in Afghanistan and it is not right at all. The women are always doing house work and taking care of the children while the men get to go out and do whatever.
DeleteIt really is depressing to learn just how badly women are treated in some countries, and it is especially troubling when you consider just how good we have it in our country compared to most others when it comes to rights, voting, property, and freedom for everyone.
DeleteIt's messed up to hear about what women are forced to go through only because they have less power.
DeleteIt isn't right to treat anyone like that no matter what, less power than someone else or less rights than someone else whatever it is, it is not right I hope since then all of those rules and how bad women were treated back then has all stopped.
Deletei read the book night by elie wisel. the book is about jews and how they where treated and what they had to do to stay alive. the main charictor elie got seperated from his mom in ther begining and only had his father along his side. they got treated sub par at times, they got a little food, somwhere to sleep and elie at least had his father. but others experinced far worse thrown around and shot at, burned, whiped,etc. eventually elies father does get badly punished. my feelings about the book are mad that people are getting treated bad and stuff.
ReplyDeleteSome parts of Night and A Long Way Gone seem to be similar. In both books there are people that are getting punished and killed. In Night it is because they are Jewish but in A Long Way Gone it is because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
DeleteGreat analysis Pete! I couldn't agree more with your thoughts on the book. I think its terrible that the jews were treated so badly. Why do you think Hitler hated the jews so much?
DeleteI read A Thousand Splendid Suns and I learned that in other countries it is normal for girls to marry men who are way older or even who they are related to. What shocked me was the fact that it is ok and also that the young girls families are ok with never seeing them again or even meeting they're grandchildren. This is very sad, Mariam and Laila's lives got taken from them pretty much and they couldn't be kids because they had to get married and have children right away in their life.
ReplyDeleteyeah there cultural difference is so weird to americans because we dont have to go to through that and we see it as horriable but to them its just the normal.
DeleteI didn't read the book A Thousand Splendid Suns but just hearing that girls get to marry guys their related to is just a little weird because now in our culture we can't date or marry anyone were related to because its bad and illegal which I'm glad our culture isn't like that but yea that seems shocking that girls get to marry people their related to.
DeleteYes i agree Mary, there culture is way different than ours and it is very sad that they are forced to never see there family again.
DeleteI read A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. I think the craziest cultural difference is allowing children to be soldiers and fight in the war. Also, giving the children drugs to make them more focused and aggressive is insane. The leaders probably thought the kids wouldn't make it out alive anyway so mine as well put them to use, which is a horrible way to look at it. What I found most interesting was Ishmael working his way through each village nearly dying almost every time. Ishmael had to learn survival skills just to keep himself alive. Overall, a very good and interesting book with a sad and horrifying reason for creating it.
ReplyDeleteI read A Long Way Gone, and I think it was very interesting to learn about the different meanings and use of certain words during the story as well as some of the language that is used in Sierra Leone. This is helped especially by Ishmael giving us explanations and definitions below the reading in some cases, which is something that I love in books. Another intriguing part of the book for me is learning the different food culture, with most of the food in the story being different types and combinations of leaves, rice, and certain other vegetables. Overall, this book was an amazing story (though I am slightly disappointed with the sudden ending rather than journey to New York) that I would highly recommend reading.
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing my book 'A Long Way Gone' i learned a lot about the culture in and around Sierra Leone. For starters probably the biggest thing i learned was how the country is so divided with the rebels and the official government that the people of the country get no breaks in their lives they are forced to be on high alert for their whole lives. Another big thing i learned was how the government just forces kids to play a role in their army, you see this when Ishmael and his friends were trying to find a village that wasn't already run down and on their way they got captured by the government and forced to be soldiers which wasn't the worst thing for them because they were getting fed and taken care of better than they were on their own but these kids were very young still based on standards in the U.S. I couldn't believe when they were mixing gunpowder and cocaine to get rid of their headaches, but then they all got addicted to the drug. But to be honest this whole story really opened my eyes and probably a lot of other peoples that read this book about what third world country's go through daily while fighting civil wars.
ReplyDeletei agree it was very interesting to see how divided the country was and it was very interesting to learn how different country are from ours
DeleteAfter finishing I Am Malala, I'm surprised what their culture and everything they have to go through. For one, once a woman is considered an adult, she is married off to someone she basically never met, and if a woman even flirts with a man, it's wrong. One girl was poisoned and killed by her family for only flirting. Births, as well, were very different depending on what gender of the child born. It was normal for a boy to get money and presents, and overall, a big celebration that everyone is invited to. For girls, it's the complete opposite. This really isn't about culture, but people in Pakistan had to deal with a life that they were just forced to live in. The Taliban bombed schools and killed people in broad daylight. Bodies lay on the streets, and if someone moved them before a certain time, they would be next. That surprised me the most because I didn't realize that's just what life was like for them.
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing the book I Am Malala, you hear a lot about gender roles and how they are strict. When the Taliban invaded the SWAT village they were banning girls from schools making them stay home with the mothers. Often the girls were expected to stay at home and do housework instead of going to school.
ReplyDeleteIts terrible that the girls were banned from going to school. It must have been a huge shock when you found that out.
DeleteIt is so sad that women are married off at such a young age. In their culture, you are an adult at 14 years old! If a girl doesn't have a choice on who she gets to marry, I think it is unfair to kill her for wanting to be with someone else.
Deletei read the book a thousand splended suns and i liked the book overal at first i liked it it was very intresting but then it started to get so many names i had to write them down and have who they were becaue there was so many but then it started to get really good i listed to the auto book and it help undertsnad more what was going on. mariam was forced to mary a 30 year old man when she was 15 then later we find out she murdered him with a shovel and then she got death sentenced for murding him which i htink was wrong becasue she husband beat her and beat the childeren. mariams dad wrote a letter to her that she never got becasue she was dead but he explained he was sorry for treating her so terably and there was a caseset tape with the movie ponnocio that she wanted when she was a kid and i wished that she would come visit hom before he did. which never happened becasue she died to over all i think the book is very intresting and a good book.
ReplyDeleteI agree Sadie, there were way to many names and it got very hard to keep track of.
DeleteI read Night. Elie does a good job telling us about how life was like in the concentrations camps through his feelings and things he witnessed. I learned how the Germans treated the Jews, killing all women, and children. I learned how religious the jews were at the beginning of the book, but things got so bad their faith was being tested, which is something that shocked me. I didn't know that these jews where being forced to do labor at the camps, I just thought they killed any jew they saw. Its sad that they were forcing these men to work for no reason, there was no purpose for the hard labor they were doing.
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing the book Night by Elie Wiesel, I learned that our humanity is fragile. Also, people put too much faith into religion. The most important thing i learned is that people turn into animals when they face danger. It's a world of eat of be eaten, and its scary to think people will turn on their own skin just to survive for a few more days. Although, it isn't really their fault, its in their blood to survive. That's how we survived back in the day when we didn't have tools and houses. I think its crazy how in the beginning the Germans used babies as target practice for the machine guns. This shows that the Nazi's didn't have any emotion towards the jews from day 1. I thought it was strange that Elie's dad held on through out the whole entire journey, just to die with in 2 weeks of getting rescued. I couldn't believe Elie didn't even want to look at himself at the end. He went through all of that and couldn't look at himself. It shows he didn't like the man he became.
ReplyDeleteIn I Am Malala their culture is the Taliban don't want girls to go to school because back then girls were supposed to stay home and do the wife chores or help their mom do house work and girls weren't supposed to go to school. What shocked me was that the Taliban were so cruel and shot up Malala's country and was hiding there 2 months before they attacked and I'm also shocked that Malala survived being shot on the left side of her head because her dad was so worried he thought she was going to die, so he told some people to get ready for Malala's funeral. To me that's shocking because the Taliban has no right to be that cruel to girls who just want to go to school and learn, and Malala's father should've had faith in Malala and her fighting for her life while in a coma like I get where he's coming in but you should have faith and believe in someone who's fighting for their life even if their in a coma. What seemed strange to me was how the Taliban acted and how they hid in Malala's town for 2 months, to me that's just really seemed strange and creepy to me because some people knew that they were there for 2 months before the attack but they didn't tell anyone or think about warning anyone which is also strange to me. I felt a bit angry when I heard the Taliban didn't want girls to go to school because its stupid to think girls should stay home and do work around the house while the boys get to go to school and learn and when they get home they don't have to do any work around the house, to me that's just really disrespectful towards the woman.
ReplyDeleteI understand that you felt angry when the girls were not allowed to go too school. I think that they did this because they wanted the boys to be smarter and keep men superior in their culture.
DeleteAs I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns, I realized what I thought I knew about the Afghanistan culture was not a lot. I learned that women are treated as property by most men. I also learned how much of an effect the Taliban had on the Afghanistan. They also do not let women go to school, for they should learn how to take care of the house and kids. What really surprised me was that men could have multiple wives and how it the husbands feel about the wives. There were also many terms i did not understand at first, but thanks to context clues, I figured it out very quickly.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. In my book the main character doesn't have his mom in his life so I wonder how it would work for his family if he wasn't rich and have servants like he does in mine.
DeleteAfter reading I am Malala, I have learned a lot about Pakistani culture and traditions. I was shocked how women are treated in their culture. Women are not allowed to go anywhere out of their home without a man with them, cannot drive a car alone, and must wear a burka when in public. It surprised me that the girls were not allowed to go to school past age 10. I wonder why the Taliban did not want the girls to be educated. It could be because they wanted the boys and men too be smarter than the women to keep men superior in their culture. The men treat the women horribly and do not allow them to do much. I could not imagine not having the rights that I do here3 in the United States.
ReplyDeleteIt is very upsetting that men treat women so horribly in Pakistan and get away with it. The men can abuse their wives, and no one would care. I think your point of the Taliban wanting men to be smarter to keep the power is very interesting. I agree with you, but I didn't think of that!
DeleteI read A Thousand Splendid Suns. In this book there culture was very different from ours. For example, the main character Mariam was forced into an arranged marriage with a man named Rasheed who was thirty years older than her. I would never be able to do that and if someone from where we are did that it would be considered rape i believe. Another strange thing about there culture is that they are expected to worship men. I personally would never be able to worship a man that just sounds awful to me. The most shocking thing that happened in this book was probably when Mariam beat Rasheed with a shovel and killed him.
ReplyDeleteSomething in the kite runner that is a different culture then the United States is the kite competition being such a big event for them. In the United States kites aren't a sport like that where the kite competition is a common thing across the whole country and that has a big party for it. They are just for casual use mostly. It reminds me of like how big football is for the US and it's not like that for kites here in the US. Another thing in the book that they talked about was the fact that Amir's gf/wife dad didn't like him because of where he can from and the culture that surrounded him.
ReplyDeleteI am reading I am Malala. In Pakistan women aren't treated very fairly. They can't leave the house without a man, they have to wear certain clothing, and getting an education is frowned upon. I was very shocked that they weren't allowed to leave the house or drive a car without a man, even if the man is a 5-year-old boy! I wasn't very shocked by them having to wear a burka in public, I've seen them wear them on social media. The thing that really shocked me was them not being able to get an education. The Taliban allowed it at first but then banned women to get an education. Malala fought against the Taliban and went to school anyway. I didn't like how the Pakistan government treated their country. I don't think I would survive in Pakistan.
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading the kite runner, and i must say that i really didn't have a very good image of how harsh life was over in the middle east, especially while it is a warzone. I mean, i wouldn't think that i would ever have to risk dying to travel in an empty fuel truck just to escape to freedom in another country. What Amir, and Hassan, and the other characters in this book had to deal with to stay alive and make a life for themselves is just absurd.
ReplyDelete#PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN
After reading A Long Way Gone, I learned a lot about what life was like for kids in Sierra Leone during the civil war. It shocked me how young boys, like Ishmael, were forced to become soldiers and do terrible things just to survive. I couldn’t believe that he was doing drugs and killing people at such a young age, and that it became normal for him. It was strange to see how quickly he lost his childhood and emotions because of the war. What really stuck with me was how he slowly started to heal with the help of people who cared, like the nurse Esther. This book made me feel sad, surprised, and also amazed at how strong he was to survive all that and share his story.
ReplyDeletethis is and amzing descvvription andf love the way you worded this
Deleteafter finishing a long way gone i was in awe in how unjust and sociably inapropriate to the western sociaty. i makes me feel uncomfortable that kids my age were forced to raid and kill people or thwey would be punnished. the burning of villages around the coundrty just bewilders me that people would actualy do anything like that.
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